Tanager-1 Satellite

About Tanager-1 Satellite:

• Launch details:
  • Launch vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
  • Launch site: Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
  • Development collaboration: Jointly developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other partners.
• Mission purpose:
  • Primary objective: Detection of major carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emissions.
  • Environmental focus: Targeting key greenhouse gases that significantly contribute to global warming.

Technological features:

• Spectrometer technology: Utilizes advanced imaging spectrometer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
• Emission tracking:
  • Method: Measures light wavelengths reflected from the Earth's surface to identify specific atmospheric compounds.
  • Spectral fingerprints: Identifies and quantifies greenhouse gases like CO₂ and CH₄ by their unique infrared signatures.
• Coverage capacity: Capable of monitoring emissions across 130,000 square kilometres daily.
• Data access: Plume data will be publicly available to support global emission reduction efforts.

Significance of Methane Monitoring:

• Global warming impact:
  • Potency: Methane is approximately 80 times more effective than CO₂ at warming the atmosphere over 20 years.
  • Contribution: Accounts for 30% of global warming since the Industrial Revolution.

Health implications: Linked to the formation of ground-level ozone, contributing to up to one million premature deaths annually.

Q1. What is a Gamma-ray Burst (GRB)?

Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful cosmic explosions, emitting intense flashes of gamma rays lasting milliseconds to minutes. These bursts, caused by black hole formation or neutron star collisions, briefly outshine all other gamma-ray sources combined, making them the brightest electromagnetic events in the universe.

Source: Tanager-1: Why NASA has launched a satellite to track methane emissions | Explained News - The Indian Express